LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Nolan Richardson challenged the truthfulness of several witnesses on the final day of testimony Thursday in his discrimination lawsuit against the University of Arkansas.

In a final 20-minute appearance to sway a federal judge before closing arguments, the former basketball coach said he never called Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles a "white-haired devil." That's contrary to testimony from football coach Houston Nutt and longtime Razorbacks basketball broadcaster Mike Nail.

Richardson, the final witness after nearly a month of testimony, claimed he never made any "negative comments about anyone," including Broyles and university chancellor John A. White.

On cross examination, Richardson did concede he was talking about Broyles when he said he wouldn't "make any deals with the devil."

Arkansas fired Richardson, saying the coach had expressed a lack of faith in the Razorbacks' basketball program by saying publicly he would leave if the school paid him his money. Richardson sued, claiming racial discrimination and a violation of free-speech rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

The trial started May 5; written arguments are due Tuesday and closing arguments are scheduled for June 11. U.S. District Judge William R. Wilson said Thursday that he will not rule from the bench on June 11.

Wilson commended both sides for their work and said he enjoyed watching the trial, which the lawyers chose to have without a jury.

"I'm going to have to decide this case against a party or parties that I have greatly admired for many years from a distance," Wilson said.

Outside the courthouse, Richardson, who took the stand three times during the trial, said he's glad he got to tell his story.

"I'm very pleased with the fact that I was able to bring it to court," Richardson said. "It was something that was very important to me. They talked about the money, but it's something that's more involved, my principles, my integrity, all those things that were strung out over two years that I had to live with."

Richardson said he and Nail were never close friends, as the broadcaster suggested last week, calling them close acquaintances. Richardson also said Arkansas system President B. Alan Sugg was wrong Wednesday when he testified about a meeting between the two in Little Rock in 2000.

After Richardson left the stand, Wilson questioned university lawyer Phil Kaplan about Nail's testimony. The judge said, "Some of his testimony left gravel in my shoe."

Wilson was particularly interested in differences between what Nail and football play-by-play announcer Paul Eells had to say about Broyles' repeating a racial epithet at a banquet in 2000.

Nail said he heard about the comment from Eells complete with Broyles saying he was repeating what someone else said. Eells testified that he didn't hear Broyles qualify his use of the epithet that way.

"I don't believe Nail and Eells can be telling the truth," said Wilson, who added that Nail's testimony overall may not have an effect on his ruling.

Before Richardson took the stand one last time, his attorney John Walker raised questions with White about whether the university violated Richardson's due-process rights before firing him March 1, 2002.

Kaplan said Richardson's lawsuit didn't raise any due-process issues and argued that Walker's questions were out of line. After letting Walker make a few more queries, Wilson agreed with Kaplan and moved the questioning along.

Walker said there was a possibility the university did not follow the language in Richardson's contract before firing him. Through his questioning, Walker spent time trying to determine whether Richardson was officially fired March 1, 2002, the day White announced the termination, or March 21, 2002, when Sugg upheld the dismissal on appeal.

White had testified Wednesday that, if he had it to do over again, he would have held a meeting Feb. 25, 2002 - the day after he and Broyles decided Richardson should be fired - to tell the coach the university wanted to make a change instead of waiting until Feb. 28, 2002, to accommodate a trip Broyles had planned.

On Thursday, White reiterated that under questioning by Walker, calling it the "biggest mistake I made."

Walker asked White if he thought that Broyles lies and the chancellor said he worries more about his 79-year-old athletic director's memory.

"I believe that he always gives an answer to be what he thinks is the truth," White said. "He may not recall."

White then said he has been concerned about Broyles' memory in "recent years."

After White finished his testimony, he left to attend the Southeastern Conference meetings in Destin, Fla. The current president of the SEC missed the first day and a half of meetings.